Here are pictures. I did more surgery today as its 70F outside.
This is what it looks like with the mulch removed:
This is what it looks like when I cut at ground level:
When I cut 1/2" below the ground some look like this:
And others look like this:
Some I couldn't even find any white matter, so they're probably toast.
I put plastic milk jugs over to help the sun warm the ground during the day. I then piled the mulch around the jugs a little to keep warmth in at night. We shouldn't get many more nights below 25 so I'm hoping these start to grow soon.
What do you guys think?